We are now safely into the zone of Christmas music and holiday cheer (if you go for that sort of thing). ‘Tis the season, after all, for us to be grateful for all that we have, especially those dear to us and Jesus Christ, who sacrificed his life for us so that we may not perish. It’s not that we shouldn’t always be grateful and have a bit of cheer in our hearts for a perfectly random stranger, but Christmas time really does seem to bring it out, whether the whole thing is business driven or not!
This Christmas season, I find myself reflecting on how we, as the Hust Roosters, are nearing the end of a season in our life. This will be the last Christmas when Rachel and I (Casey) and Tom and Hannah will hold a place of residence in Rochester. For those of you in Rochester who are dear to us, fear not, we will most certainly be visiting. Looking back, the last Thanksgiving has come and gone, and so has the last summer! In fact, winter is the only season left before we move down to the Hust Roost.
It goes even beyond that, though. Rachel and Hannah are about to start their last semester of college in a few weeks. They are nearly completed with obtaining a degree that has taken seventeen years of schooling!!! Tom and I have been up in Rochester for over five years now. Dad and Cathy will be wrapping up the empty nest period of their life. We are going to put them to work with us instead.
Dad is fazing out of IBM, a place he has toiled for over 32 years now. Grandpa will have people living in the same house as him (the apartment upstairs) for the first time since Tyler moved to New York City almost five years ago. This whole move down to the Hust Roost is a life changer for all of us, and it affects many of those we are close to as well. Rachel and I are saddened that we will be so far away from Rachel’s parents and siblings, but we are also looking forward to visits from them and to them. There are many other friends that those of us moving from Rochester will sorely miss, but we are also coming back to some old friends and family.
As far as the farm goes, this is the last season for those of us up in Rochester that we won’t be taking care of animals every day and filling the wood furnace every night and morning in the winter. This is the last stretch before the Hust Roost officially becomes a business and we take on more responsibilities.
I want to enjoy this Christmas season. Beyond that, I want to enjoy the last few months we have in Rochester. It is not very long until our world changes dramatically, and the time that is left is quickly slipping by. I want to savor this season of lasts. Then, it will be a season of many firsts.
Thanks for this update, very expressive and meaningful while still being a good concise overview. I enjoy your writings.